LIHUE — Kauai Community College’s Waialeale Project received a $3,000 contribution from the Kawakami and Furugen family funds. Kawakami family representatives Dr. Alice J. Kawakami, Esther Kawakami-Williams and Rep. Derek Kawakami, along with Darcie Yukimura, senior philanthropic services officer for
LIHUE — Kauai Community College’s Waialeale Project received a $3,000 contribution from the Kawakami and Furugen family funds.
Kawakami family representatives Dr. Alice J. Kawakami, Esther Kawakami-Williams and Rep. Derek Kawakami, along with Darcie Yukimura, senior philanthropic services officer for the Hawaii Community Foundation, visited KCC to hear firsthand testimonies from Waialeale Project students about their college experiences.
The program started in fall 2010, and in May of this year the first group of Waialeale students received associate degrees. The program currently services 185 students.
“These students move from not even considering college to thriving in this environment,” KCC Chancellor Helen A. Cox said. “This opens doors for them and their families for the rest of their lives.”
The Kawakami Family Fund, established in 2011, continues the family legacy of helping great causes on Kauai.
